Stay With Me
by beatlemaniac213
Summary: Peeta and Katniss have just returned back to District 12 and they settle into a routine. Could Gale mess that up? Does Katniss realize she has feelings for Peeta? Pre-Epilogue Post Mockingjay Rated M for later content
1. Chapter 1

Peeta and I have just returned to District 12, well what's left of it, a few weeks ago. He hasn't spoken to me yet and i have a pretty good idea why. I've damaged him beyond repair. I'm the reason his family is dead and I've broken his heart over and over again. Worst of all, I'm the reason he was captured by the damn Capitol and turned into a mutt! I should've stayed with him in the arena. I swore to myself that i would get him out of there safe even if it meant dying. He doesn't deserve all the pain i've brought him. And of course even after all I've done to him, he sill loves me!

Last week i came back from hunting and found primrose's planted in my flower bed outside my house. The inute i saw them i knew who planted them. Peeta. I dropped to my knees and started crying. I wasnt even 2 minutes into my breakdown when i felt steady arms curl around me. The calmness that fell over me was a dead giveaway to who the stranger was. Peeta pulled me off the ground and picked me up bridle style. He cradled me against his strong chest, heat transferring from his body to mine. He carried me into my house and up the stairs. he wobbled a little due to his artificial leg. I felt myself falling into the dark abyss of my nightmares. He laid me on my bed and pulled the covers over me. I grabbed hold of his hand as he tried to leave.

"Stay with me." I pleaded

I waited for the reply that he reserved just for me. And when it didn't come right away, i started to worry that he might not want to stay with me. I tried to open my eyes but sleep had a frim grip on me.

"Always." he finally said.

I smiled At him just before I fell asleep. I knew as long as Peeta was with me, the nightmares would never find me.


	2. Chapter 2

I wake up and expect to see darkness but instead i find light radiating from the windows. I couldn't believe it. I had slept through the night without any nightmares. I soon noticed an arm under my head. Then it all came back to me. Peeta stayed! just like I asked him too. No wonder i slept thorigh the night. I turned to my side and met my gaze with Peeta's. His ocean blue eyes were staring into my dull grey ones.

"Good morning." he said

As strange as it seems, i didn't know how to reply to him. He hadn't talked to me in over a month. Our last interaction had been disastrous.

I had gone to his house to see if he wanted to have dinner with me and our neighbor and mentor Haymitch. I knocked on his door and was happy to see a smile on his face when he opened it.

I decided to get straight to the point.

"i was wondering if u wanted to have dinner tonight." i blurted out.

"I'm not sure if that would be a good idea" he replied

I was curious to why he would think so...I mean, it's not like I was asking him to have dinner with me and Gale. Seeing Gale with me would have definately triggered a horrible episode.

Even now i was nervous that he was on edge just by having me around. I decided to test the waters.

"Why would you think that?' i asked

"Katniss...I just don't want to hurt you...who knows how unstable i am even after the help i got."

"Peeta i know you won't hurt me-"

I cut myself off as i saw his pupils dialate

"But you'll hurt me..." he murmured

"Peeta i would never hurt you." i pleaded "you know that"

"You're gonna hurt me just like you hurt my family...and then your gonna run off to Gale and laugh about it with him" he said coldly

"Peet-"

"JUST GO AWAY" he screamed

He didn't have to tell me twice. I ran back to my house and closed the door behind me. Even from inside my house i could hear Peeta's screaming and the crashing of furniture coming from his house.

But enough of my tortured memory. Peeta was with me now and he was perfectly fine with no sign of an episode occuring anytime soon.

Just then i realized that i left Peeta hanging with his comment. I've just been staring at him the whole time i was thinking about our previous fight. Of course he didn't care at all that i was staring at him like and idiot. He loved me unconditionally with no strings attached. It was a feeling that I hate myself for not returning to him.

As i looked at him i realized how drop dead gorgeous he really was. The weak boy i met in the first arena was long gone and in his place was a muscular, handsome, and sexy man. A man who had loved me almost all of his life. Even though i treated him poorly.


	3. Chapter 3

Peeta and I settled into a daily routine. He bakes. I hunt. And in the evenings he would come over and we would cook dinner together. On nights that I felt too weak and helpless to face the nightmares alone, I would ask him to stay. Of course he would say yes but I could tell that sometimes it was hard for him to be near me. It killed me that I made him feel this way. His episodes aren't as frequent but they are still just as strong.

I don't know whats come over me. I've turned into one of those love sick teenage girls that I hated at school. I never imagined falling for someone let alone a boy from town. I guess I thought that somehow I'd nd up with Gale in the end. Everyone else in the district thought the same thing.

Peeta has been acting strange around me lately and I'm almost positive I know the reason why. Gale called me last week and said he was going to be visiting district 12 and that he wanted to meet up with me. Of course I thought he would tell me to meet him at our usual meeting place in the woods. Instead he told me to meet him at my old, abandoned house in the seam.

Of course when I told Peeta all of this he got really uncomfortable and quiet. In Peeta's mind, theres still competition with Gale. In his mind, I'm gonna marry Gale and have lots of babies. But in MY mind, I'll pick Peeta.

Today was the day I was supposed to meet Gale. I woke up and put on a sunset orange sundress. I wanted to butter Peeta up before I left so he wouldn't worry about me when I went to meet Gale.

I ran down the stairs and found Peeta baking in my kitchen. I casually walked up to him and kissed his cheek. His eyes lit up.

"Morning" i said

"Good morning" he said as he took in my ensemble

"I'm gonna go meet Gale" I said "I shouldn't be gone long"

I could see the jealousy in his eyes as he badly tried to hide it.

I walked out the door and made my way to the seam. Why did Gale want to meet me in such a secluded location? No one lives in the seam anymore and it's turned into a ghost town.

I arrived at my old cabin in roughly 15 minutes. Opps. I was late. I looked and saw that the door was wide open. Light was radiating from the bedroom that Prim and I used to share. I walked in to find Gale sitting on the bed with a liquor bottle in his hands.

"You're late" he said coldly

"Sorry" I apologized "It took me a bit longer to get ready"

He turned to look at me. His eyes surveyed my fuller figure and my new choice of clothes. He stood up and walked towards me. He was no more than a foot away from me. He took the skirt of my dress in his hand and shook it.

"Since when do you wear dresses Catnip?"

I could smell the alcohol on his breath and his words were slurred.

"I wanted to look nice for our meeting so-"

"No...you probably wore this for him" he said quietly " I should have told you how I felt long ago...before you met _him"_

__No need to specify. I knew _exactly_ who he was talking about.

"You've fallen in love with him haven't you?" he asked quietly

I took a deep breath. Was I about to confess my feelings for Peeta to Gale? Before I even told Peeta?

"I aksed you a question" he growled "and I expect an answer"

I was getting angry with him. "Yes" I said confiently

"You little slut" he said "WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE TOGETHER!" he screamed. No wonder he didn't want to meet out in the open. Everyone would be able to hear him screaming at me if we were in public.

"Gale, I've only ever seen you as a brother. I never felt that way for you."

He closed the distance between us. At first I thought he was gonna kiss me. Instead, He slapped me right across my face.

"Gale what the hell are you doing?!" I demanded

He forced his mouth onto mine. I pulled away and ran across the room. He followed me and slapped me again. He pushed me onto the bed and climbed on top of me. He pulled off his shirt and kissed me again. I started screaming my head off. I squirmed under his weight.

"Well since you won't cooperate" he said "We're just gonna have to bind you"

He pulled out some rope from under the bed. He tied my hands above my head and attached the rope to the headboard.

"there we go" he snickered "that'll hold you"

He then yanked the skirt of my dress up and pulled my panties off. He quickly unbuckled his pants.

"I'm gonna teach you a lesson Catnip" he whispered

"Gale please don't" I cried. Tears were running down my cheeks

He positioned his member right at my entrance.

"look at me" he yelled

I had just made eye contact with him when he thrust his member into me. I cried out in pain. He moved it hard and fast. He smacked me everytime I broke eye contact with him.

Just then, the door opened.

"Katniss?" a voice called

"Peeta!" I cried "Peeta help me!"

He entered the bedroom to find Gale thrusting into me roughly. Peeta's eyes widened and he ran across the room and pushed Gale off of me. Gale pulled himself off the floor and threw a punch at Peeta. Peeta dodged it and punched Gale in the face. Gale was extremely intoxicated and tried a second time to hit Peeta. Peeta just laughed at him and hit him over and over. After about the 14th punch Gale took, he fell over and didn't get up.

Peeta turned his attention to me. He gasped. I was not a pretty sight. My hands were tied to the headboard and my face was starting to swell and turn a purple color. Worst of all, my legs. There was blood flowing down them and my dress was ripped.

Peeta gently untied my hands and helped me up. I was extremely sore between my legs. I could barely stand. I wrapped my arms around Peeta and buried my face in his chest. I cried my eyes out. Meanwhile, Peeta was whispering in my ear "i'm so sorry" and "it's all my fault"

"how's it your fault Peeta?" I demanded "I'm the one who came here"

"I shouldn't have trusted Gale...I should've come with you"

"Peeta he was drunk. I don't think he would've done this if he was sober"

"well it doesn't matter anymore. Let's get you home and into bed"

He scooped me up and carried me back to Victor's Village. He carried me up to my bed and laid me down. Just when I thought he was going to leave, he climbed into bed with me. I cuddled up to him as he wrapped his arms around me.

"Peeta?" I asked

"Yes Katniss?"

I wanted to tell him how I felt. Instead i setlled for:

"thankyou"

He kissed my nose and left me wanting more. But of course, he still thought that I had absolutely no feelings for him and that I didn't want him to show his feelings.

I sighed an closed my eyes. Shortly after I fell into a dreamless sleep.


End file.
